Though Far Apart
by Master of Chronicles
Summary: Set after Ep VII, circumstances have led to Rey and Finn no longer being side by side. Evil spreads and the galaxy tips on the brink of chaos, but the Force binds all things together. Finn/Rey.
1. Rey's Farewell

**I was incredibly happy that TFA has likable characters in which I care what happens to them. Though I believe EP VIII will take place a few years after Ep VII, I wanted to write how I imagined it might go. Though I know that this story will be dated in about a year and a half.**

 **Enjoy and please share your thoughts in the review section!**

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Prologue

"Going against a force user in a one on one lightsaber duel? You have to be the craziest stormtrooper I've ever met!" Poe Dameron chuckled as he watched his friend being poked and prodded by one of Resistance's state of the art medical droid.

" _ **Former**_ stormtrooper," Finn reminded the ace pilot, sitting on a medical bed as the droid examined his new cybernetic spine.

"Tell me if you feel any unusual pain." The droid's electronic voice sounded slightly muffled by the design of its mask like face. It was poking Finn's back with a needle, just hard enough to make the dark skinned man twitch every now and then.

Finn winced the entire time. "Nothing unusual so far-OW!"

"I did that on purpose," The droid stated so casually it was disturbing. "Exposure to a high energy weapon such as the lightsaber can damage nerve endings beyond repair depending on the type of injury. We must make sure that your new implants are functioning on all levels, including more unpleasant sensations."

"You don't say." Finn replied dryly.

Poe watched with a smirk on his face as Finn's face continued to contort every now and then with each poke. "So, buddy, has anyone filled you in since you woke up?"

Nodding his head, Finn clenched his teeth together as he answered, "General Organa told me that The First Order has retreated for now, Kylo Ren might likely be alive and that Rey left to find Luke Skywalker. But she also told me that all happened a month ago. I can't believe I was out that long!"

"You were in pretty bad shape." Poe walked around Finn's bed, looking at his back as the med-droid began adjustments on the cybernetic spine itself. The skin on Finn's back had been peeled open like a fruit, displaying bone, muscle and metal. The sight made Poe's stomach twist. "But, hopefully, you'll be back in fighting shape soon."

"How bad is it out there?" Finn turning his head around to look at his friend.

"Please keep your head straight." The med-droid insisted. Finn complied.

"With the New Republic decimated, not good." Poe admitted, clenching his fists, pacing around the white medical bay. "The First Order has many systems terrified, bullying them for support, supplies, and man power. Starkiller Base might be gone, but its effects did the job. And to make matters worse, without the Republic Fleet, piracy and other organized raids are plaguing entire sectors. The Resistance wants to help, but the truth of the matter is we're spread too thin."

Finn contemplated what he just heard in silence. "How can a victory feel so hollow?"

"Happens all the time, buddy. Imagine how the General feels. She saw the fall of the Empire! I'm sure everyone thought that would be the end of evil in the galaxy, at least for a while. No such luck." Poe sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Lor was right back on Jakku when he said only the Jedi can restore balance."

"Jedi..." Finn echoed. "I still can't get over that the stories are true."

"It can be tough. Hell, even some Resistance fighters are skeptical. But if you spend enough time around General Leia, the way she can sense what others are about to say, and the way she knows when something really bad has just happened, or when she can beat you at Sabacc, you'll believe in the Force soon enough."

"Some of the stormtroopers I worked with secretly made fun of Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke, thinking that they were part of some silly ancient religion that was all talk and parlor tricks. It wasn't a trick when Kylo launched Rey twenty feet in the air into a tree without touching her! Or when he stopped that blaster bolt id midair on Jakku. When I fought with him, it was like he was toying with me. He seemed to know what I was going to do before I did!"

"Rey told us you managed to hit him." Poe said encouragingly.

"Yeah, once. And then he got me once, and I was down." Finn remembered bitterly. "I was useless."

"Hey, hey. Don't beat yourself up. You think I would've done any better? Kylo was trained in the ways of the Force, but you along with Rey beat him. It was team work. You guys worked great together!" Poe gave Finn a friendly punch in the shoulder, ignoring the droid as it gave a mild protest to leave the patient alone. "Speaking of Rey..."

"Yes?" Finn looked up expectantly.

"She left you a holo message. It's in the room that has been assigned to you. Once you've been cleared we'll head over there."

Finn turned to the droid. "You done yet?"

"Please keep your head straight!" It ordered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Finn noticed they weren't on the same world as when he first joined the Resistance. Poe explained that since the First Order had found their location prior to the destruction of Starkiller Base, they had to quickly relocate before General Hux decided to retaliate. Their new location was wondrous, with a giant red gas planet visible night and day in the sky. What had Poe called it again? Yavin something?

 _New base, but they still use ruins,_ Finn noticed. _I guess it's easier to settle in somewhere that already has the buildings waiting for you, rather than starting from scratch._

His room had a beautiful view. It was midday, the gas giant high in the sky as the endless forest beneath stretched out into the distance where a majestic mountain range stood tall and proud. Finn had wanted to take a walk, but he felt tired. Despite a month of unconsciousness, the young man's body ached for sleep.

Finn decided he would rest, but not before watching Rey's message one last time. The holo display fit in the palm of his hand, the image of his dear friend only about a foot tall. She was in the same desert gear she had been wearing when they first met, only now she wore a sleeveless coat Finn hadn't seen before. Rey's image was looking down at the holo-recorder in her hands, frowning.

" _Is this turned on?"_ She asked, her recorded voice slightly scrambled. _"I can't tell if...oh...it's working."_

Finn couldn't help but smile.

Standing straight, Rey looked forward and smiled warmly. _"Hello my friend. I hope you get this message, and when you do you're well and in high spirits."_

"I am." Finn whispered softly at the hologram.

" _I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you awoke, but I've been spending most of days with Luke Skywalker. He's real, Finn! It's unbelievable, but I've found him and he's everything the legends say he is! He might not be as tall as I imagined, but still..."_

The young man had to cover his mouth with his free hand to keep himself from laughing too hard.

" _I...I miss you, Finn. Being kind and gentle was rare on Jakku. Scavengers stole from each other, hurt one another and back stabbed whenever they could. But not you. You were everything my life wasn't. And even though you wanted to run far away, you came back for me, you fought to protect me against Kylo Ren. You saved my life!"_

"So did you." Finn said back, wishing she could hear him.

" _As much as I want to return, I can't. Luke and I have so much to do, and precious little time to do it. Now that Snoke knows we have found Skywalker, he and I must go into hiding. I can't tell you where we are, though I desperately want to. Please, forgive me."_

Tears began to fill Finn's eyes. Rey's image blinked hard, telling him she was crying as well.

" _But we will see each other again. I truly believe that. Please take care, my dearest friend. And may the Force be with you."_

And then Rey was gone.

"May the Force be with you too, Rey," Finn choked. "I have so much I want to tell you."

Sitting alone in the silence of his room, the young man took a deep, unsteady breath. The future seemed so uncertain, who knew what could happen? Finn had to go with his heart and believe, like his friend, that they would be reunited one day.

Shortly after Finn climbed into bed and settled into a deep, restful sleep.

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 **I will be taking certain things from the book series, for the sake of paying respect to those many authors who gave us very good stories and characters. I'm not planning on this being a big thing, just something to get Star Wars out of my system until the next film comes out. And yes, I am a huge Rey/Finn fan. Hopefully they won't turn out to be brother and sister...  
**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Seeking Redemption

**Wow! I wasn't expecting such an overwhelming response to this story! I'll try not to delay too long between updates, but alas I can't promise anything.**

 **To all those who are following, favorited and reviewed; thank you! Please let me know your thoughts about this next chapter!**

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Chapter I

It had been a year since Kylo Ren had suffered his humiliating defeat at the hands of the scavenger and the traitor. Though the scar on his face had healed, he remained disfigured. He didn't mind. It was his punishment for his lack of foresight and intelligence.

 _I should have sedated her back when I had her restrained to that chair. Or better yet, killed her right then and there!_ The young man had ran over and over in his mind the many different options he could have used that day. Now, a long, unsightly gash would forever remind him of his failure.

"Sir, we'll be arriving at the coordinates Supreme Leader Snoke gave us in a few moments." the pilot of Kylo's command shuttle informed the young knight.

"Very well." Kylo's voice was muffled by his mask. Looking out the viewport, the young man watched the vast, endless tunnel of hyperspace spinning about them brilliantly.

"Um...sir?" The pilot asked nervously. Kylo could sense the fear coming off the man like an odor. "We were given...peculiar orders regarding this mission."

"I am aware what they are." Kylo Ren interrupted abruptly. "I suggest you follow them without question."

"Even if that means executing you if you fail your objective?" The captain said to clarify the position he was in.

The co-pilot looked at his comrade in surprise, obviously hearing those orders for the first time. The pilot resisted the urge to cringe as Ren's mask looked down at him slowly.

"Are you going to make me repeat myself, captain?" Kylo said softly.

"No sir! Understood, sir!" The man turned and refocused his attention on flying the vessel.

Leaving the cockpit, the metal door sliding closed behind him, Kylo Ren headed toward the back of his ship where an outfit of ten stormtroopers named Specter Unit waited for him. Each of them were elite members taken from elite groups, best of the best. Unlike the white armor of most First Order troopers, Specter Unit bore red to distinguish themselves, which looked black under the interior red light of Kylo's command shuttle. The color was to symbolize them being drenched in the blood of their enemies.

The lead trooper, dubbed Ghostmaster, wore a cape similar to the disgraced Captain Phasma, though his was white and bore a black symbol of the Order. He saluted along with his unit as Kylo entered.

"Specter Unit fit and ready, sir." The man informed his superior, a high powered sniper blaster in his gloved hands.

Ren looked about the ten man and women assigned to him. "So, this is the legendary team that single-handedly destroyed the Resistance base on Saladin V five years ago? And not a single one of you were injured during the assault, I understand."

"That's right, sir." Ghostmaster nodded, his darkly lit helmet turning toward his men. "52 missions, no casualties, all successful."

"Then understand this, TX-1138." Kylo Ren used the trooper's number, ignoring his given title. "This is a mission the Supreme Leader doubts even I can accomplish. You and your men will be in more danger than you ever thought possible, and some of you will die."

A few of the red stormtroopers looked at one another, their buckets hiding whatever expression they had on their faces. But is wasn't fear Kylo Ren could sense they were feeling. It seemed more like...mockery.

"Sir, if I may speak freely." Ghostmaster inquired dryly.

"Please." Kylo replied.

"If an untrained scavenger and a rookie traitor can get the best of you, you might not want to underestimate our abilities either." The electronic filter did little to hide the impudence in the commander's voice. Some of the troopers in the back failed to keep from laughing under their breaths.

The urge to activate his lightsaber and mercilessly cut all the soldiers down flashed into Kylo's mind so fast his hand dropped to the newly constructed hilt at his hip. Specter Unit tensed visibly, some tightening their grip on their blasters, but none raised them. Ghostmaster stood stock still, looking Kylo in the eye. Kylo took a steady step forward, his mask inches away from the troopers helmet.

"I hope you are right, commander." The young knight said evenly. "It would be a shame to get _real_ blood on those uniforms."

Suddenly the entire ship shook, announcing that they had just entered the atmosphere of a planet. Kylo turned his back to the stormtroopers and let out an angry breath he had been holding. It wasn't the first time he had received ridicule from those who would not have dared cross him a year earlier. His reputation had been lost, and only action would restore it. Killing those who angered him wouldn't suffice. Kylo had to _win_ them over by doing what would be considered impossible by some. After all, that was why Snoke had given such a dangerous assignment to Kylo; to prove himself.

A few moments passed as the command shuttle flew toward the exact coordinates the Supreme Leader had given Kylo mere days before his departure. As everyone stood in silence, the knight recalled Snoke's final words.

"There is an ancient Sith temple on the broken moon of Fandor. There you will find deep inside three relics of a forgotten age you will need to overcome the approaching war with Skywalker and those that follow him in the Light. Bring those relics to me." The Supreme Leader had commanded. "I have finished your training, Kylo Ren. This test will prove whether you are worthy of walking in the steps of Lord Vader. You will prevail, or you will die."

As the ship began its final landing approach, Kylo felt a sudden flash of heat spread across his strong body. He was nervous, far more so than he had been expecting. He always knew the day would come where he would have to prove once and for all he was qualified to use the Dark Side.

To prevail or die.

There was no other way.

"I will succeed, grandfather." Kylo whispered as he felt the ship touch solid ground, the ramp beginning to open. "I will make you proud."

Once it was fully down, Kylo Ren and the troopers of Specter Unit descended off the ship...

...and into the dark, windy, barren nightmare that was the broken moon of Fandor.

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 **A short chapter, but I didn't feel it had to be any longer. Usually I'm a lot more descriptive, but I want this to feel like it's going somewhere instead of world building too much. I'll save that for my other works like PERL or my long dormant Cloud Strife and Lightning Farron story.**


	3. Night of Unrest

**Thank you everyone who has read, liked and is currently following. And a special thank you to all those who have reviewed!**

 **Forgive any stupid spelling errors. I always find them in other fanfics and despite my best efforts, I'm sure some slipped me by.**

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Chapter 2

It was well past the middle of the night when Rey woke up from her bad dreams. Alone in the dark, the young woman struggled to remember where she was. In her gutted AT-AT walker back on Jakku? Or was she a prisoner of the First Order again?

 _No...I'm in the Falcon._ She calmed herself with that reassuring thought. _I'm with Luke Skywalker on the planet Vissner, deep in the Outer Rim. Chewbacca is in the next room and R2 is making repairs. I'm safe._

Part of Rey was surprised at how uneasy she had been feeling for over the past week. Her nights had never been ideal, to say the least, but now it seemed like a growing shadow was entering her mind, touching her thoughts and tainting them.

 _Is this the dark side of the Force?_ Rey wondered as she pulled off the covers of her bed. _Luke had warned me how force users can always sense when evil is lurking in the galaxy. But its been a year since we've been traveling together, and I've never felt anything like this before._

Placing her naked feet on the cold, metal floor, Rey decided to go out. The door to her quarters slid open with a loud hiss and instantly closed behind her as Rey moved about the powered down vessel. She could hear the beeps and whistles of R2 D2 as he made repairs on the old smuggling ship, mostly upgrading the old nav-computer. Much more of the galaxy had been explored since the Falcon ended up stranded on Jakku, and the charts needed updating.

The Vissner system, one of the most remote, was the one Luke decided they would go to for the time being. The planet itself was normal enough, with a varied landscape of meadows, forests, lakes, and oceans. It's most striking feature, however, were the colossal mountains that reached so high no clouds could sail above them. And also the giant worms, but Rey didn't want to think about those.

Opening the exit ramp, Rey descended off the Falcon right unto soft, long grass which felt pleasant against her bare feet. She still was not used to grass, but she loved the feel of it. Looking up into the night sky, Rey smiled in wonder at the three moons orbiting Vissner, one so large only half of it was visible in the sky while the other two were barely more visible that the stars. Rey hugged herself as a cool breeze blew, the grass and leaves rustling together, making a comforting sound.

Without realizing what she was doing, Rey reached out with the Force and connected with her surroundings, becoming one with them. She felt the sway of the grass, the bends in the tree limbs, and the animals deep in sleep both underground and above. She also felt a deeper, stronger presence not too far away from where she stood.

Looking northward, Rey's eyes followed as the landscape begun to rise up until it became a hill. Standing at the top of it, draped in the same cloak he had been wearing when they met, was Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. Rey could feel the sadness in him, the loss of all the hard work he had spent so much of his life trying to build, the weight of failing to protect his beloved nephew Ben Solo from the clutches of the dark side.

When she had found Luke he immediately sensed her bond with the force and Jedi explained that they had to find another planet on which to hide.

"Snoke will be desperate now." Luke had explained to her. "We can't run the risk of him discovering where we are until we are ready."

"I understand." Rey had replied. "Where shall we go?"

She remembered Luke pausing for a moment. "I have found many Jedi temples over the years. They are the best place for training. The sooner we leave, the better."

That had been four temples ago, and at each one Skywalker would spend hours at a time in deep meditation. Watching him standing on the hilltop alone, Rey wondered what would keep the aging man in such intense thought for so long, but she didn't think it would be right to ask.

Rey also felt the Jedi's resolve, the power he had to confront the oncoming storm they both knew would soon sweep the galaxy. And she wanted to be ready as well, to do her part in protecting those she cared for, even if they were far away.

Her thoughts drifted to Finn and how much she missed him. When she last saw him he was lying in a med bay, unable to wake, having been severely injured trying to protect her. Had he recuperated yet? If so, how was he doing? What was he doing? Had he left the Resistance or had he decided to stay? She wanted so much to know.

 _I have seen many things since the last time we were together, my dearest friend. What I wouldn't trade to have shared it all with you._

Rey smiled to herself as she remembered what Finn had asked her long ago when they had just stolen the Millennium Falcon and escaped the First Order by flying off that desert planet and into outer space.

"Why do you want to go back to Jakku? You have a boyfriend? Cute...boyfriend?"

Thankfully, she had been too busy trying to fix the ship to register his question properly. At the time she would've been too guarded to consider what he had subtly suggested. It wasn't until later, after he had selflessly come to save her on Starkiller Base, did Rey understand that he truly cared for her. And when she had pulled him into a tight embrace, she realized how much she cared for him. Recording that farewell holo message for Finn had been very painful for her, since she desperately wanted to stay.

And now, at least for the foreseeable future, she couldn't go back.

Rey returned to the ship, went back to her room and slipped into bed. She didn't feel any better, but now that she had Finn on her mind, perhaps she would rest a little easier.

She was wrong.

The dream began with her weeping over her friend's motionless body, like she had on Starkiller base, only this time they were on the rocky edge of a cliff and a violent storm was raging. Finn's eyes gazed heavenward, dull and empty as the last of his blood drained out of him, leaving him pale and lifeless. Rey was crying uncontrollably, the rain mixing with her tears, screaming his name.

"You have failed him, young one." Said a vile voice carried on the winds of the gale. "Your power was too weak against the might of the dark side."

Her eyes red and swollen, Rey looked up at a small, bent figure standing near the cliff's edge, face scarred and white with old age. Blood caked the creature's mouth and stained its hands, and when it smiled Rey saw red dripping off its teeth. She instinctively knew it had murdered Finn.

"You monster!" She cried over the thunder of the storm, a flaring lightsaber clutched tightly in her hands. "I'll stop you! I'll kill you!"

Like lightning the smaller figure dashed at her, wrapping its small, pale hands around her neck and began to squeeze mercilessly, causing her to drop her weapon. Choking, Rey tried to pull it off her with physical strength, but found herself too weak to defend herself. She tried calling on the Force, but felt nothing.

"You can still survive..." The voice called out again, even though the figure killing her didn't move its lips. "But you must not be afraid to call upon true power. There is no dark, there is no light. Only life and death!"

Rey could feel her windpipe collapsing as she clawed at the hands of her attacker. Her mind began to fade, her arms limply falling to her side.

"What..." The voice echoed inside her head, "do you choose?"

 _I..._

 _I...choose..._

…

…

 _Power!_

The figure suddenly released its hold as Rey's hands balled into tight fists, the figure struggling to breath as she used the force to crush its throat shut. Filled with rage, Rey rose to her feet, her skin hot and pulsing, using the Force to lift the pitiful creature into the air as heavy rain was whipped into their faces by gusts of wind. It squirmed, feet twitching about frantically as Rey held it several feet off the ground.

"I...I can feel it!" She exclaimed, a wicked smile of relief spreading on her face. "So much! An unlimited source of never ending strength! More power than I ever thought possible!"

Rey tilted her head back and laughed, feeling pure ecstasy coursing through her body. She embraced it. Relished it! It was the most wonderful sensation she had ever experienced!

The choking figure tried tried to speak.

"...ercy..."

"What did you say?" Rey asked condescendingly, annoyed at being bothered.

"P-please...m...m-mercy..." It wheezed.

Rey looked down at the dead corpse of Finn. When she looked back at Finn's killer, her eyes were hard and cold. "I think not."

With an outstretched hand Rey called her lightsaber to her, flaring it to life. The energy blade was different now; a bright, deep crimson. Still holding her enemy up in the air, Rey cut him in two with ease as he shrieked in pain. Without a second thought she threw what was left over the cliff to the infinite darkness below, ignoring the cries of agony.

Discarding the saber, Rey noticed how her body had changed. Her skin had become a deathly white, with her veins a deep purple color. Her lips and hair had turned black and her eyes shone with an intense yellow fire. She could feel the power she had long denied herself throbbing in her blood, making her heart beat faster. As the storm around her intensified, Rey looked down at her dead friend.

"My love," Rey spoke sweetly, waving her hand, "I will never let you go."

Twitching, Finn rose to his feet and stood erect, but there was no life in his eyes. She was simply controlling his cadaver with the Force. She approached, caressed his bloodied face with her hand, leaned in and kissed him with angry passion.

"You are mine for eternity." Rey whispered darkly in his ear.

Finn opened his mouth and a hollow voice came out, "Yours...always..."

With that she walked off into the storm with the cold body of Finn following right besides her.

When she woke up, Rey was covered in her sweat and tears, her mind filled with those images of terror.

And her dreams continued to get worse...

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 **I'm sure many of you did not expect things to get this...twisted, but I ended the last chapter on a promise of nightmarish things to come and this was the delivery. But don't worry, things might get better.**

 **I hope you enjoyed and see you all in the following chapters!**


	4. Finn's Gift

**And we have another one! I am not sure how often I'll be able to update or how long the story will be, but as long as you enjoy it I'll keep writing. Thank you for all the faves, follows and reviews. Seriously, it's been amazing! I have never had such a response before!**

 **Forgive any spelling errors, though I try to limit them.**

 **Lets get on with it then!**

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Chapter III

Finn was sure he was going to die.

"I can't do this!" He said into the comm of his pilot helmet as he had a death grip on the stick of his X-wing.

"Negative on that, Blue 4, you've got plenty of room on either side." Said the voice of a calm woman on the other end, named Mara, who was doubtlessly enjoying a hot drink of some kind judging by the occasional slurps Finn kept hearing. Or she was a non-humanoid. Finn hadn't exactly gotten used to being around those yet.

Having been in flight training for well over eight months, Finn was doing his best to pilot his X-wing through a massive asteroid belt, trying to weave his way through the giant space mountains. In a cold, nervous sweat, Finn tried to steady himself with regular, deep breaths. He had been in countless simulations during the past weeks, including both Death Star runs and a special scenario designed by the late Rogue Leader Antilles himself called 'Wedge's Gamble' which took place over Coruscant.

But all those had been fake on some level despite the great effort to make them feel real. Therefore, a test in a more hazardous and probable environment was inevitable. Finn had to fly into the belt, find five moving probes, tag each one with simulated fire, and return to the heavy cruiser _Red Katarn_ for the next rookie pilot to fly. Finn knew he wasn't anywhere near the top of his class. And to make matters worst, he was picked to go first, which would mark the time to beat for everyone else.

"These meteors are getting closer," Finn turned his head from side to side, feeling trapped at nearly every angle. "I'm going to get sideswiped and be a stain on some forsaken rock!"

"Blue 4, you have more than enough room to maneuver. The _asteroids_ , not meteors,are very large and move slowly. We chose a section of the belt that doesn't contain a lot of collision activity, so put aside your fears and focus on your assignment ." Mara said over the comm to reassured him. "Trust your droid, trust your ship, trust your training and trust yourself. Got it?"

Finn took a deep breath through his nose. "Aye, ma'am!"

Pressing down on the acceleration clutch under his right foot, Finn fired his X-wing forward, swinging the ship around the titanic rocks as his datascreen displayed the nearest probe.

"R2-M6," Finn told his purple astomech, "Keep an eye out for any surprises while I concentrate on tagging the target."

The whistle of confirmation was all Finn needed to kick it into high gear. Rounding an asteroid the shape of a rough diamond, Finn saw a small, silver glint in the darkness just as the probe appeared on his scanner. Finn positioned his X-wing, aiming the probe into his cross-hairs and fired. Though the lasers blasts were tuned down to 0.001%, the bolts shone red and bright as they sped off from their guns and harmlessly hit the probe.

"Confirm hit!" Finn smiled.

"Hit confirmed. Bringing up second target."

A beep came from Finn's datascreen and showed him the quickest route to the next probe. This continued on through the rest of the test. Whenever Finn hit a probe, the next would be lit, and the next after. Each one was a little trickier to hit as the probe moved at a slightly more accelerated pace each time. In fact, the fourth one was going so fast Finn couldn't close the gap as they raced through the belt and had to fire at maximum distance when he got a clear shot.

"That one was rough!" Finn remarked as he turned to avoid collision with a smaller asteroid that had managed to bounce its way to the outer edges of the belt. "I wonder what surprises the last one will have for us, eh M6?"

Suddenly Finn's ship screamed an alarm at him.

"What do you mean I've been hit?!" Finn cried, seeing on the screen that his rear shields were down 20%. It wasn't his real shields, only simulated ones like the weakened quad-lasers, but still...

Then a Tie Fighter flew by over head at blinding speed.

"There's your last target, Blue 4." The comm-woman announced cheekily. "Go get 'em!"

Finn flew and fought with his last "probe" for ten minutes, getting more and more frustrated with every miss he had and every hit his opponent made. The Tie was able to fly in loops like a springed coil, pulling off maneuvers as though it were in open space rather than an asteroid belt.

"I can't believe this!" Finn growled as he struggled to follow, "Whoever is flying that retired model Tie Fighter is one hell of a pilot..."

Suddenly it dawned on him.

"Poe is flying that Fighter!" Finn wanted to kick himself. The ace pilot had been acting nonchalant all week, which certainly explained a lot! The whole time he had been secretly anxious to put the rookies in their place! "M6, how are we supposed to compete with the best pilot in the Resistance?"

Well, Finn had just about enough surprises for this test. It was time to pull out some of his own. As he flew, Finn quickly began typing on his datascreen. "M6, please broadcast the comm over this frequency. I want to have a little chat with our friend."

M6 let Finn know the job was done with a series of quick beeps.

Finn spoke into his headset, "I thought you were supposed to be good, Poe. How is it you haven't knocked out my shields yet?"

The voice of the older pilot laughed in Finn's ear. "You knew the frequency of this model of antique Tie Fighter! I'm impressed! But don't forget that it's your job to take me out."

"Is this the thanks I get for saving you from the First Order?" Finn teased, tailing Poe, trying in vain to hit the Tie. "I shoud've just flown myself out that day."

"You would've been hit." Poe mocked back.

"We _were_ hit, ace pilot!" Finn laughed, squeezing the trigger on his stick repeatedly. One laser tagged Poe's left wing as he began to turn. "Ha! Got ya!"

"Good job, buddy!" The man's smile could easily be heard in his voice. "Poe to Mara, hit confirmed. Test over. We're coming home!"

"Over? I only hit you once." Finn frowned, guiding his X-wing to follow Poe's Tie as it left the asteroid belt and headed back to the _Red Katarn_.

"That was the objective, to get me once." Poe explained, "I just had to make it hard for you while hitting you now and then, putting you under pressure. If my goal was to take you out it would've been over in seconds."

"Oh..." Finn sighed. For a moment he had allowed himself to think he was going to be able to brag that he had outmatched the great Poe Dameron in a dogfight. No such luck.

"Hey, you did well with a respectable time and you have the rest of the day off. Enjoy it!" Poe said cheerfully. "I, on the other hand, have another twenty pilots to test. Oh, and don't tell anyone about the twist sneak attack at the end. Even that new girl, what's her name..."

"Kira." Finn answered, a little too quickly for his liking. "Kira Jade."

"Oh. On a first name basis, I see." Poe said slyly from inside the cockpit of a ship Finn had seen far too often in his life. "I guess that first date went well, then?"

"It wasn't a date." Finn said.

"It was dinner." Poe shot back.

"It was in the mess hall." The former trooper clarified.

"An _empty_ mess hall. Late at night. Just the two of you."

Finn could imagine the grin on his friend's face. "Will you just stop?"

"Hey, she's one of the best candidates in your unit. I'd say she's a catch! And what's more, she seems to like you, for some reason." Poe stabbed again. "Maybe she's got a thing for turncoats!"

"That it!" Finn swung his X-wing at Poe's fighter. "M6, bring the quad-lasers to 100%! I'm going to blow this loud mouth to oblivion and make him a legend!"

"Alright, boys." Mara said patiently over the comm. "As much as I love to hear the two of you gossip, no killing or damaging what few fighter ships the Resistance has. Now hurry up and get back here, Blue 4. We've got a line of young pilots waiting, including your new girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Finn insisted as he could hear Dameron burst into laughter. "See what you did, Poe!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By the time Finn had parked his X-wing, was evaluated on his test, congratulated by his peers, went to his quarters and showered, his stomach was growling for a meal. Supper was still an hour away, so after drying himself off and putting on a pair of pants, Finn decided to take a short nap and climbed into his bottom bunk. But after twenty minutes of tossing and turning, the young man found himself unable to close his eyes for good.

Instead, Finn got up and went to his dresser. Staring at the top drawer, Finn's hand hesitated to open it, knowing full well what was inside. It was the gift that General Organa herself gave him for his bravery during the battle with the First Order and the destruction of Starkiller Base.

"I don't want your cybernetic spine to be the only thing you remember that day by." The older woman had expressed to him less than a week after he awoke from his coma. "Rey told me what you did for her and for our pilots. You stood up to my...my s-son, and saved Rey's life. You paid a price, but I sense you would do it again without a second's hesitation."

Finn had wanted to say something about Han Solo and that he had been the real hero that day, but thought it was better and more respectful to keep quiet.

Leia had continued, "I want you to have something very special. It belonged to a young rebel before the destruction of the first Death Star, before there even was a Rebel Alliance. He was part of a brave team that helped my father and our cause during the darkest years of the Empire. He was a Force user named Ezra Bridger. This was his."

Finn opened his drawer, looking at the weapon the general had given him a year earlier. At first glance it looked like an oddly shaped, rectangular blaster. But a closer inspection revealed it had a lightsaber as a grip, making it a hybrid of the two. He remembered his reaction, having refused at first.

"I'm not a Force user." He had said.

The general had smiled knowingly at him. "Despite how you feel, please keep it. It's useful to have a weapon that can be both a sword and a gun. Besides, you have proven to me that you have the spirit of a Jedi. And that's enough."

Lifting the item out of his drawer, Finn admired its craftsmanship. He had never heard of such a hybrid, and he couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of person would have even considered meddling two very different kinds of weapons together. But he had to admit it was ingenious.

Then Finn turned it on.

The room filled with a bright blue glow when the lightsaber made an electric splashing sound as it erupted from the hilt. It hummed with raw energy as Finn stared in awe at it, his heart beat faster as he could feel the heat of the energy blade on his hands, arms and bare chest. He imagined all the legends he had heard about the Old Republic, before the Empire, when an entire order of knights, Jedi, would fight across the galaxy for peace and justice, using weapons like the one he was holding. The first time Finn ever used a lightsaber he had been too preoccupied to appreciate it. But now...

" _ **Finn**_."

Turning off the laser sword, the young man quickly turned around, but saw that he was alone. But...he had heard someone just call his name. It was soft, like a hushed whisper, but he _had_ heard it. And the voice seemed very familiar...

"Rey?"

Heading toward the door, Finn opened it to see if anyone was in the hallway, almost running into Kira Jade, who had been just about to knock on his door.

"Finn!" The beautiful orange Twi'lek gasped upon seeing the half-dressed young man, the skin of her cheeks turning a darker shade. "I was just...er...is everything okay?"

Finn was looking up and down the corridor, disappointed that no one else was around. "Is anyone out here?"

"You mean besides me?" Kira asked, adjusting her beige vest over her white undershirt. "Not a soul."

"I guess not." Sighed Finn. He then noticed his state of undress and awkwardly walked back into the room, leaving his fellow pilot at the opened entrance as he went to get a shirt and boots. "So...how did you do on the test?"

"Poe Dameron was such a huge shock! It caught me entirely off guard." The Twi'lek girl smiled, her green eyes shining. "But I managed to score second in the whole squad!"

"Really? Congratulations!" Finn decided to wear his black shirt with his old brown and red jacket. He could never go wrong with that.

"And, guess who made it in the top ten?" Kira grinned at him, hands behind her back.

"Who?" Finn slipped on his boots and put his lightsaber away before Kira asked what it was.

"You!" Kira laughed. "You scored seventh!"

"What?" Finn's jaw dropped. "But I took forever!"

"Some took longer." The young woman explained. "It was a very hard test. My stomach was doing back-flips!"

"I hear that." Finn looked down at himself, finally ready. "Sorry about forgetting we were supposed to join up for dinner. I was...thinking..."

"Thinking with a lightsaber?" Kira teased. "That must be hard, seeing how it's so loud I could heard it down the hall."

Finn rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed at being caught. Fortunately, his dark skin prevented any blushing from being too visible. Kira laughed, took his arm and led him down the corridor in the direction of the mess hall.

"So, are you training with it?" She asked, her orange headtails gently swinging behind her.

"A little. But it's not like I'll get, you know, great with it."

"You should ask General Leia for some pointers." Kira, being practically born on the heavy cruiser, knew all the twists and turns, whereas Finn was just grateful that he didn't have to leave his quarters to find a bathroom.

"I thought she wasn't a Jedi." Finn remarked.

"Well, she isn't a Jedi, but she is Force sensitive." The beautiful Twi'lek explained. "You do know that she is the twin sister of Luke Skywalker, right?"

"Well, yes, but I didn't know that meant she would be able to use the Force. I thought it was a random thing." Finn said, suddenly wondering who Rey's parents could've been. It was proven that many Jedi went into hiding after the infamous Order 66. Maybe...

"I'm not sure exactly how it works, but the general did train a little under her brother for a while, or so I've heard." Kira continued. "Eventually it seems that she decided to discontinued once Ky-I mean Ben was born. In any case, it wouldn't hurt to ask her if she could help."

"Thank you. I will."

Arriving at a turbolift, the two walked in as Kira selected the appropriate level and begin to descend. Finn was distracted, wondering how the Force worked exactly. The First Order knew it was real, but never openly spoke about it. From what he had heard back in those days, those who could tap into that power either joined the Knights of Ren, or were killed by them.

" _ **Finn**_..."

"Yes, Kira?"

The Twi'lek turned her head and looked up at him. "I didn't say anything."

"Wha...you didn't?" Finn said in surprise.

The young woman shook her head. "No. Is everything okay, Finn?"

As turbolift doors slid opened, Finn said more to himself than to her, "I hope so. But I'm not sure."

* * *

 **If case you haven't noticed, I am including references and tributes to other Star Wars works, now under the title of 'Legends'. The names Mara, Jade and Katarn being the most obvious. Others are little more subtle, mostly because I don't want to bash anyone over the head with it. Oh, and the name Kira was Rey's original name in the making of The Force Awakens before it was changed. Movies have cameos, books have references.**

 **See you all soon!**


	5. Sith Temple of Fandor

**Thanks for all the support and forgiving all those silly spelling and grammar errors I keep finding. How annoying!**

 **Here's the next chapter and I hope you enjoy it! Remember to leave share your thoughts in the review section!**

* * *

Chapter IV

Back when he was Ben, Kylo had seen several Jedi temples in his youth. Some had been grand, others modest and bare bones in their simplicity. His uncle had tried explaining to him that the purpose of the temples were to help the Jedi fully embrace the light side of the Force, where they could feel it flow through them at all times.

But Kylo had never felt that strength, that constant source of power in those old ruins anymore than a dying man could find water in a desert. To him, they were empty husks of a deluded cult that thought they were better than all other life in the galaxy.

In contrast, when Kylo Ren first entered a Sith temple shortly after meeting Snoke, the difference was as obvious as night and day. He could taste the passion and will that had driven others before him in the air. Cries of rage and triumph would still echo in the darkness, telling wonderful tales of Sith who had achieved their deepest desires, or had gloriously died trying.

The temple on the Broken Moon of Fandor was no different.

There was a legend about Fandor that had been passed from master to apprentice for longer than some stars had burned. The moon had once been full of life, until the day two Sith lords of equal strength came across one another and fought to rule it. The battle was said to have lasted a century, neither of them gaining the upper hand.

Finally, in an all out burst of dark power, the two Sith killed one another, but not before cracking the moon in half down to the core and splitting it in two. Over the millennia the two halves slowly drifted further and further apart. As a result the broken moon was covered in never ending storms which raged violently and killed everything that inhabited it. At times the storms lessened in intensity, or combined together into larger superstorms, which could easily pick up a fully armored soldier high into the air. After countless centuries the wind wore down mountains and erased valleys, making the surface essentially flat. Fandor was little else than wind and wasteland.

Except for one place.

For three days Kylo Ren and his 'escorts' had marched as an eternal gale swirled high above them, throwing powerful gusts of wind in their direction. It had been hard going, especially with very little light penetrating the thick cloud cover. Visibility went from being able to see the horizon when the storms died down to only inches ahead during the worst times. But there had been nothing to see in either case. Simply an endless ocean of black, ash-like sand. The Force was the only thing which guided Kylo Ren in the right direction.

But by the end of the third day, after a particularly nasty storm tried to bury them on their feet, the weather cleared and it became visible. A great, tall mountain stood like a deep shadow against the darkness of the squall, alone and ominous. It was the last mountain standing on either half of Fandor.

"By the stars!" Exclaimed one of the Specter Unit troopers over the roar of the wind. "How is it that mountain is still standing?"

Kylo smirked beneath his mask. The imbeciles had no concept of how even the wrath of a dying planet paled when compared to the true nature of the dark side.

"I take it that's our destination?" Ghostmaster remarked to Kylo, his dirty white cape flapping mercilessly in the wind.

"The temple is inside the mountain itself." Kylo explained. "It was built as a commemoration to the Sith that destroyed this planet."

"You mean to tell me that only reason that place isn't as flat as everywhere else is because it's being protected by the Force?" the Specter captain said in disbelief. "And that whatever is inside will help us win the war against the Resistance?"

"You don't sound convinced, TX-1198. I take it you don't excel at believing what your eyes can't see." Kylo used the man's number instead of his name again as a way to irk him.

Ghostmaster stared evenly at Kylo from inside his red helmet. "I'm simply following orders. I excel at that, sir."

"Then I hope you follow these to the letter." Kylo said, turning to address the entire red unit. "When we enter you are all to follow where I go and do what I say _exactly_. Do not wander and do not trust what you will see or hear. None of you have experience in matters of the Force. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Ghostmaster said dryly, replying for his unit.

They found the entrance to the temple near the root of the mountain, and much to the surprise of the soldiers they found stairs that went down into the rock, not up. They cautiously made there way into the roots of the only mountain left on Fandor, the sounds of the wind slowly fading away behind them as the darkness grew.

Kylo grabbed his lightsaber and ignited it, holding out in front of him to illuminate their way as the stromtroopers used lights affixed to their rifles and helmets. The walls, floor and ceiling were smooth and square, obviously man made. Carving were etched deep into the stone on either side, depicting symbols none of them recognized.

"It's getting colder." Remarked Specter 3, her voice tight with unease.

"We're underground." Specter 5 pointed out. "Of course it's colder."

"But this feels different." Specter 3 insisted. "Like standing in a graveyard."

"Cut the chatter." Ghostmaster snapped.

Kylo Ren said nothing, carefully scanning the darkness that kept retreating away from the red glare of his energy weapon. For a time the only sound to be heard were that of their heavy boots on the stone steps, which echoed down the corridor deeper into the mountain.

And then, the stairs ended and the corridor opened up into a large chamber. An immense stone pillar fifty feet in diameter stood like a sentinel some ways away, stretching up and up until it vanished above. Another, similar pillar stood not too far away from that one. And then another, and another, all of them in a row, seven pillars in all.

"This is the grand hall, the center of the temple." Kylo explained, retrieving a small hollow device from under the folds of his clothes and activating it.

A blue, three dimensional image of the temple appeared, a large rectangular shaped room in the middle with multiple smaller rooms branching off in various directions, all connected by countless tunnels. It looked like a very complex, artificial web.

He continued. "The room we want it at the end of this hall. We take a spiral staircase down and then head into the dungeons. Once we get through them, we will descend again to where the relics are."

"Sith temples have dungeons?" Specter 8 asked. "Why?"

Kylo put the holo device away. "Sith loved using anger and vengeance to wield the dark side. What better way to do that than keeping your enemies prisoner and torturing them at you leisure?"

"Sounds sadistic." Specter 3 said, sharing her opinion once more.

Kylo allowed himself a moment to imagine Rey at his mercy, restrained and helpless as he used the heat of his lightsaber to slowly burn every ounce of skin off her body. "It certainly does."

"Alright then, Specter Unit." Ghostmaster's tone of voice brought his soldiers to attention. "Kylo Ren will lead the way. Specter 7, 3 and 9 will take point while 6 and 2 will watch our left and right flank. 4, 5 and 8 will be rear guard...wait...where is Specter 9?"

Suddenly a high pitch squeal pierced the darkness.

"What the hell was that!?" 5 exclaimed, his rifled at the ready.

"That was 9!" Specter 8 scanned the darkness with his light. "9! Come in, 9! Dammit, answer me!"

"I warned you not to wander." Kylo said casually to Ghostmaster.

"Fall in, everyone! Fall in!" Ghostmaster quickly made a head count. "Where's 4? 4! 4, where are you!?"

"I'm not far." The voice of Specter 4 sounded over everyone's comm, but he was no where in sight. "I thought I saw someone."

"Get back here now!"

"I see it...it's...it's...my mother." 4's voice cracked, his years of discipline broken in a second.

"Get back here, 4! That's an order!" Ghostmaster was shouting.

"Mom, I thought I'd never see you again. You...AH! AAAAHHHHH! AAARRRGGHHHHHH! ARG-"

Static filled the comm, followed by dead silence.

"Like I said," Kylo said, unable to conceal his amusement. "None of you have known danger like this."

Ghostmaster turned on Kylo, raising his blaster to the man's head, finger teasing the trigger. "What have you lead us into?!"

Kylo kept holding his lightsaber like a torch, ignoring the rifle barrel inches from his mask. "I am in the same position as all of you, captain. I don't know what traps are in here or what form they might take. All I know is that Sith temples were designed to do one thing; weed out the weak, upbuild the strong. I am just as likely to die here as any of you. But let fear overtake you and you're finished before we even get started, just like 9 and 4."

"Why don't we just head back?" Specter 7 asked, her voice trembling.

With his rifle still trained on Kylo, Ghostmaster shook his head. "The pilots have orders to shoot us on sight if we do not bring back the relics."

"What?" 2 said in shock. "What kind of mission is this?"

"A Sith mission." Kylo replied calmly, as though he were in full control. "Succeed or die. Do or do not. There is no middle ground. So, TX-1198, are you going to try and kill me, or shall we continue?"

"You piece of-"

"Sir!" One of the Specters cried out in alarm, causing the others to raise their rifles. "I think I saw something!"

"So did I!"

After another second Ghostmaster lowered his weapon, letting out an angry breath. "Let's not linger around here any longer than we have to."

"Wise choice." Kylp remarked. "We head for the dungeons. Follow me."

* * *

 **Some might find Kylo isn't acting the same as he did in Ep 7. But remember that this takes place a year later after killing his father and completing his training with Snoke. So, for now, he has a different outlook on things. However, he still needs to prove himself so that he can be worthy of Vader. That has not changed one bit. See you all soon!**


	6. Rebel on the Moon

**Greetings all! I have been very busy lately, but I have not forgotten! Thanks for your patience and sorry. I'm going to be moving soon, so how often I can update is anyone's guess. But enough chatter, enjoy!**

 **Please favorite and review if you like what you read!**

* * *

Chapter V

Rey had only ever heard of the planet Nar Shaddaa by reputation. Controlled by governments under the influence of the Hutt cartel and other such bent organizations, the Smuggler's Moon was a gathering point for everything illegal and shady. It had no surveillance, no semblance of law and order and absolutely no love for either the Resistance or the First Order. It was a good place to get supplies unnoticed. It was also a great place to get stabbed in the back around every corner.

Bringing the Falcon down on an open landing pad at the city docks, Rey powered the ship's engines down, but kept them running. The plan was to only spend a few hours on the surface, but a quick getaway was always something she prepared for.

A voice sounded over the comm, but for some reason there was no holo image. The voice was high pitched and overly cheerful, immediately making Rey uncomfortable. "Welcome to Hutta Town, the most illustrious city on Nar Shaddaa!"

Chewbacca, sitting upright in the co-pilot seat besides the young scavenger, growled a sarcastic remark. Rey laughed.

"We will be sending a representative to your docked ship to collect the port fee of 15 000 credits, as well as installing gravity boots to ensure that no unauthorized departures may occur, ensuring theft of your vessel will be all but impossible. Enjoy your stay!" The voice message ended with a burst of static.

"A ludicrous fee _and_ making sure we can't leave at a moment's notice by installing a gravity boot." Rey shook her head, giving Chewie a knowing look. "How much do you want to bet they were planning on making us pay extra to remove the boot when we wanted to leave?"

The Wookiee growled in agreement.

Rey gave Chewie a friendly pat on his shoulder. "I'll let you deal with their 'representative' about that docking fee. I'm sure after you...explain things they'll reduce the price and forget about the boot. I'm going to tell Luke we've arrived."

Making her way to the back of the ship, Rey paid close attention to the look and sound of the Falcon. It had a bad habit of coming apart at the seams when least expected, and she didn't want to have to scramble to keep the hyper drive from exploding again. Rey hadn't lied to Finn when she called the Falcon garbage. But it was _her_ garbage now.

Rey found Luke in the lounge area, the older man sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor as he meditated, his cloak and hood lying in a heap on the holo-game table. Three training remotes floated in the air around him, their shock ray emitters endlessly aiming in random directions, searching for something they couldn't find. As soon as she saw the remotes, Rey stopped in her tracks. She had been stung too many times by one of those things to trust that they weren't set to her bio-readings. Without moving, Luke Skywalker's emerald lightsaber unlatched itself from his belt and levitated in the air in front of him.

Rey watched on in silence, curious at what would happen next. She could sense Luke wrapping the Force around him like a cloak, rendering him invisible to the remotes' sensors. It was a skill Rey hadn't been able to yet master.

Suddenly the training remotes locked on to Luke the second he stopped hiding his vital readings, the three machines opening fire at once. The room filled with green light with occasional flashes of red as the green lightsaber buzzed to life and began swing around of its own accord, catching each ray at blinding speed, protecting its owner. After several seconds Luke Skywalker shot out his right hand and everything froze, his saber crackling with energy as it hung vertically in the air, the remotes ceasing their attack. Then the remotes floated down on the floor and deactivated themselves as the lightsaber turned off and returned to its place on Luke's hip. Finally the Jedi opened his eyes.

"That was...incredible!" Rey said in awe.

The older man smiled behind his graying beard, bending over to pick up the training remotes and returned them to the utility box he had found them in. "You should have seen me the first time I tried this. It wasn't pretty."

"Any worse than me trying to force jump over that pond full of Sakar blood-leeches?" Rey asked, shivering at the memory.

" _Nothing_ can ever be worse than blood-leeches." Luke chuckled under his breath, looking at his pupil. "I take it we've arrived without too much trouble?"

"Chewie is handling the details as we speak." Rey confirmed as Luke picked his cloak off the lounge's table and wrapped it around his shoulders, pulling the large hood over his head.

"Negotiating the landing fee, is he?" Luke smiled. "Not confident in using a mind trick?"

Rey made a face as she followed Luke towards the Falcon's exit. "I think one bar fight with three Bothans is enough to convince me I need practice. Speaking of fighting, should I bring my quarterstaff?"

"No." Luke answered, making an effort to ensure that his lightsaber was well concealed in his robes. "Bring your blaster. The staff makes you too easy to notice and easy to remember. The First Order will have spies here, so we need a low profile."

"Why are we here? You haven't told me." Rey asked.

Luke stopped just as they reached the ramp, turning to look at Rey. She wore a generic pilot's jacket over her Jakku gauze clothing and knee high military boots they had picked up during their travels.

"Your hair." Luke stated.

Rye reached up and touched her three buns. "What about it?"

"Could you let it down?" Luke asked casually. "Tie it in a tail?"

With a growl of frustration, Rey undid her buns and quickly tied it as Luke had suggested. After a minute she was done. Luke inspected it.

"Mmm...it looks better the other way." He said finally before walking down the ramp.

"Oh, come on!" Rey cried, reaching up to fix her look. "You're really not going to tell me why we travel all this way to Smuggler's Moon?"

Stepping off the Falcon, Luke and Rey were met with a scene which would have made Han Solo laugh. Chewie was standing in all his seven foot glory, an injured Artiodoc lying at his feet nursing a broken arm while a small, nervous droid translated his various screams. R2-D2 stood patiently nearby, whistling in delight at seeing Luke.

"Two...ouch!...we meant hundred credits! No...whimper... make that one hundred credits!" The droid translated as the Artiodoc writhed in pain. "We're out of grav-boots anyway!"

"Try not to kill anyone before we get back, Chewie." Luke whispered to the Wookiee as he and Rey walked by. "We don't need the attention."

Chewbacca made no promises.

Leaving the Wookiee with their ship, Luke and Rey made their way through a crowd of various species from the entire galaxy, the two travelers heading for the city's Bazaar as Artoo tailed them. Stepping onto a public transport, Rey had to fight back from heaving from the smell. Even luggabeast manure didn't smell as bad!

"Did something die in here?" Rey said under her breath as the cheap ship headed toward the heart of the city, passing by towers of metal and glass reaching up towards the sky like dirty, twisted fingers. "It's wretched!"

"That's the smell of Umbats." Luke tilted his toward the other side of the chamber toward two red skinned humanoids with sparse black hair on their head, pointy, shriveled ears and large, green eyes which bulged out of their sockets. "They believe bathing is a sin punishable by castration."

"What!?" Rey said in disbelief.

"See how their skin is red with tiny black dots? Umbats are born milky white. Their skin turns red from infection due to the algae that grows in the pores of their skin from their home planet. The algae is black, which makes all those little black spots."

"That's disgusting!" Rey tried to keep her voice low but failed to pull her eyes away.

"It's just another way of living. From their point of view, everyone else in the galaxy stinks." Luke said with a grin, turning his attention back to the city, affectionately putting his artificial hand atop of R2's dome.

"I suppose they could see us that way..." Rey glanced around, seeing species she had never seen before, doubtless from planets she hadn't heard of or could pronounce. She had teased Finn about how sheltered he had been, but the truth was she was just the same.

Finn...

It was getting harder for her to think about him lately. Ever since her nightmare of his death, Rey had other dreams involving her consumed with the dark side, dragging his dead body around like a keepsake. In her latest dream all that had been left of her friend was a mere skull that floated at her side which she would occasionally take in her hands and caress. Rey didn't understand why she had such dark, twisted thoughts of Finn and part of her didn't want to think about him anymore. However, another, much larger part of her wanted desperately to see him again. For some odd reason she was afraid she was going to forget the sound of his voice.

Instead, she was riding a black market transport on a crime ridden planet with a man she believed had simply been a legend, running an errand she had no clue about, surrounded by various creatures from around the galaxy, some of which didn't seem to believe in cleaning themselves. The thought almost made her laugh.

"We're here." Luke announced as the transport came to a stop.

The bazaar was smaller than Rey had been expecting. Only a few stands were in the street selling common goods such a fresh fruit, tools and everyday commodities which drew a handful of costumers. Skywalker didn't seem interested in any of them as he walked down the streets, clearly aware of where he was and where he was going.

The three of them were soon in the back alleys of Hutta Town, walking past suspicious eyes and lurking criminals who kept to themselves. Luke finally stopped at a tiny repair shop which appeared to be closed. He knocked.

"Can't you read the sign?" Came a scratchy voice from within.

"There is no sign." Luke replied. "Open up, I need my droid repaired."

Rey glanced down at Artoo, knowing he was fully functional. The droid quizzically looked up at her, appearing equally confused.

"...What kind of droid?" The voice cried.

"Old Republic astromech." Luke said.

"Out dated. You should get a new one." The shop's owner suggested, though it didn't sound to Rey like he meant it. "Or I could buy it for scrap."

Artoo bleated an objection.

"I'm very attached." Luke insisted.

The sound of something heavy being moved was heard, then a magnetic locked being released. The shop's entrance slid open to reveal a green skinned Nu-Cosian, his long beard nearly touching the floor. Unlike Bobbajo back on Jakku, Rey noticed how this Nu-Cosian's eyes were wide open, his irises an amber color. Dressed in red robes, the shop owner looked from Luke to Rey, then to R2.

"Your droid seems to be...fine." The old Nu-Cosian's eyes widened upon looking at Luke's face for a second time, "But perhaps I can take a look. Best come in."

Following Luke and R2 into the shop, Rey felt a sudden rush of nostalgia as she saw the walls and tabletops full of spare parts and old technology she hadn't seen since her days back on Jakku. Most were antique, older than even what she had seen during scavenging. Eventually her gaze fell upon the shop keeper, who was peering up at Luke.

"You've aged terribly, my friend." He chuckled, his voice hoarse. He then stepped forward and embraced Skywalker. "At least you're alive."

"Good to see you again, Gellerk." Luke replied, patting the Nu-Cosion on the shoulder. "How is Burmo?"

"Passed away." Gellerk said sadly. "Her lungs failed her, at the end."

"I'm sorry." Luke offered, kneeling down to look his old friend in the eye. "I wish I could stay longer, but I'm afraid we are pressed for time."

"I understand." Gellerk nodded in the direction of the shop's door. "Anyone follow you?"

"I sensed no one." Luke looked at Rey. "Did you notice anything?"

"I didn't." Rey confirmed. "But I couldn't be sure."

"Better not risk it." Gellerk said, waving them to follow him as he made his way to the back of his shop. "The treacherous First Order as been busy placing spies everywhere. If they know you're no longer in exile, they will be on the look out. We must assume they are aware you have come to Nar Shaddaa."

Gellerk, upon reaching another metal door at the back of his shop, craned his long neck to look at Rey. "Is she...?"

"Yes." Luke answered.

"Finally." Gellerk smiled. "The galaxy just might have a chance after all."

Rey looked at Luke expectantly. "Am I what?"

"Learning to use the Force." The old Nu-Cosian clarified, unlocking the door. It slide open with a squeak, leading to a dark chamber with a solitary light on the ceiling illuminating a single workbench in the center of the room.

"Artoo, stay out here and monitor for any activity, just in case." Luke ordered. The droid whistled happily in response.

Rey was surprised to see a rack of fairly advanced weapons on the far wall of the room, as well as modified power cores and high quality super conductors.

"I wasn't always a shop owner." Gellerk said with a glint in his eyes. "Before I met my wife, I spent the majority of my time repairing weapons systems of X-wings and frigate class warships."

"You were a member of the rebellion!" Rey said in awe as she studied the gadgets around her.

"And one hell of an engineer." Luke recalled. "But he was terrible at talking to women."

"Oh, shut up..." The old Nu-Cosian grunted as he bent over to pick an old wooden chest off the floor, lifting it up onto his workbench.

He fumbled around in his red robe until he pulled out a small key made of a darkened metal in between his wrinkled fingers. Open the lock with a soft but distinct click, he lifted lid and stepped back to let the others take a look. Luke smiled.

"You found two!" Skywalker sounded pleased.

"Some dimwitted smuggler traded them for a few drinks, having no clue what they were." Gellerk grinned. "Been holding on them for almost five years now."

Rey reached in and took one between her fingers, holding it up to the light, watching it shine through.

"A kyber crystal! A yellow kyber crystal!" The young woman looked eagerly at her mentor. "Am I going to be making my own lightsaber?"

His face beaming with a warm smile, Luke Skywalker said, "A crucial step in your training. As easy as it would be to simply inherit my old one, making your own is symbolic of your relationship with the Force. Think you're ready?"

"Absolutely!" Rey turned to ask Gellerk a question. "Can I use both of them?"

"Of course! It's not like I'm going to be making one of those laser swords." The Nu-Cosion handed Rey the second crystal, which was the same color as the first. "In fact, I have all the equipment you need here to make the lightsaber yourself. I had always hoped Luke would return with a new apprentice."

"You brought someone here before?" Rey asked Luke.

The old man's face fell. "It was a woman named Cersis. She died shortly afterward."

"Curse Snoke and his Knights of Ren!" Gellerk swore, the old rebel spitting on the floor. "The new Jedi have arrived and will wipe him and his followers out of the history archives for all eternity!"

"We will need more Jedi before that can happen." Luke reasoned, looking at Rey. "Right now I want to make sure this one is ready for whatever the dark side will throw at her."

Rey's fist tightened around the two krystals. "I am. And we will find more people ready to be Jedi soon, I know it!"

"Excellent!" The Nu-Cosian rubbed his green hands together, "Let's get this thing built!"

Suddenly, from the other room, R2-D2 screamed in alarm. Seconds later something exploded against the entrance to Gellerk shop.

"A thermal detonator!" Rey cried out.

Luke Skywalker hurried forward and raised his hand, reaching out with the force. "At least a dozen stormtroopers. We have to leave before they blow through the wall!"

"I reinforced it, the whole front of the shop!" Gellerk quickly grabbed two black and silver blaster rifles and handed one to Rey, who had pulled out her blaster pistol. "It will take more than one measly bomb-"

A second, more powerful explosion went off, cracking through the walls with its sheer power, blasting debris everywhere. R2 squealed with fright as white troopers began firing through the newly made holes in the walls. The droid ran towards the back room with Luke and the others as the troopers broke in.

"We can't stay here!" Rey shouted, firing her powerful pistol in response, nailing one trooper in the chest as he tried climbing through a large gap.

With a wave of his hand, Luke closed the door to the rear chamber, sealing them off from the attackers.

"Trapped." Rey said in discouragement, glancing Gellerk. "Unless you built a secret exit?"

"No such luck." The old rebel sighed. "Wanted to, but never had the money."

Pulling out him comm-link, Luke opened a channel to the Falcon, "Chewbacca!? Come in, Chewie!"

"Graahhh!" The Wookiee replied over the line.

"We're in trouble! Get the ship to the 13th district and hover above the rooftops. We're going to need a quick getaway!" Luke reached at his side and pulled out his emerald lightsaber, flaring it to life. He glanced at Rey. "I should have brought the other one too."

Rey smiled nervously, raising both pistol and blaster rifle toward the door, which the stormtroopers were currently trying to ram. "Next time?"

"Next time," Luke said confidently, "you'll be using your own."

The door gave and the First Order troopers swarmed in as Rey and Gellerk opened fire, Luke blocking the oncoming blaster bolts with his saber.

For the next few seconds Rey lost herself in the fight, the room filling with smoke, blaster fire and screaming. A bolt zinged past her head and hit the wall behind her, striking a power core which then exploded.

The last thing Rey could remember was falling toward the floor...

* * *

 **Originally Rey was supposed to experience another nightmare in this chapter, then I realized it was too repetitive. A good story, or at least an entertaining one, keeps moving forward.**

 **Till next time!**


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